Best Brioche En Surprise Recipes

JAMES BEARD'S ONION SANDWICH RECIPE:

Steps:

• Using a glass (I found that a shot glass works great) or a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 2 to 3 bread rounds from each bread slice; discard trimmings or save to Make Homemade Bread Crumbs.
• Spread one side of each bread circle with a heavy layer of butter. Place a thin layer of sliced onions over the butter. Lightly season the onions with salt.
• Assemble the sandwiches with remaining bread slices, pressing lightly to make them adhere.
• Spread some mayonnaise around the outside rim of each sandwich round. Roll the rim of each sandwich in the minced chives or parsley to coat.
• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerator for a few hours.
• Makes 16 to 24 sandwich rounds.
• Making Sandwiches Ahead of Time:
• If you need to make tea sandwiches in advance and need to keep them from drying out, cover them loosely with a sheet of wax paper and then place a damp kitchen towel over the wax paper (never place a damp towel directly on top of the bread because the sandwiches will become soggy). Refrigerate.
• When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. Uncover sandwiches just before serving.

BRIOCHE EN SURPRISE (ONION SANDWICHES)

Steps:

• Spread the rounds on one side with mayonnaise and place the rounds mayonnaise-side up on the work surface. On half of the slices place an onion round, just the size of the brioche, and salt it well. Top with the remaining brioche rounds, mayonnaise side down. Roll the edges of each sandwich first in mayonnaise, and then in the chopped parsley.

BROWNIES WITH A SURPRISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and chocolate together in a metal bowl over simmering water. Remove from over water and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whisk only to blend. Add chocolate mixture and whisk gently. Add flour and salt and use the whisk to stir in until blended. Grease a 12 by 12-inch square pan, and line the bottom with parchment. Pour a scant half of the brownie batter into pan and spread smooth. Place the 16 peanut butter cups upside-down onto the batter, spacing them evenly in 4 rows of 4 (the brownies will be cut into 16 squares, with a peanut butter cup in the center of each.) Push the cups down into the batter slightly. Top with the remaining batter and gently spread smooth. Bake 30 minutes. Center will still be soft. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on wire rack. Cool completely before cutting, or for best cutting results, chill several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Cut into 16 (3-inch) squares.

CHRIS' CRANBERRY SURPRISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. In large bowl, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar with a hand mixer. Beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the beaten eggs and the pomegranate juice and mix until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture in batches and beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides. With a rubber spatula, fold in the oats, coconut, and cranberries and mix well. With an ice cream scoop, form the dough into balls and place onto 2 parchment lined cookie sheet at least 1-inch apart. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

RAINBOW BRIOCHE

Steps:

• Place the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed to combine. Add the milk and 3 of the eggs and mix on low speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to medium and start adding the butter, a little at a time and waiting until it is completely incorporated to add more, about 5 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium-high and continue to mix until the dough is glossy and slightly tacky but not sticky, about 7 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal-size pieces. Add a few drops of red food coloring to one piece of dough and knead until vibrant and no streaks remain; set aside. Repeat with the remaining 5 pieces of dough, tinting each with one of the remaining colors (orange , yellow, green, blue or purple). Place each tinted piece of dough in a separate small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.
• To assemble, individually roll out the 6 pieces of chilled dough on a sheet of parchment paper into six 9-by-5-inch rectangles. Stack the pieces on top of each other in the color of the rainbow, so red on the bottom, then orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Roll out the stack of dough again to a 12-by-8-inch rectangle; this will ensure that all the layers stick and bake together. With the red layer on the bottom, and starting from a shorter end, start rolling the dough into a tight spiral, like a jelly roll cake.
• Generously butter one 9-by-5-inch nonstick loaf pan and place the rolled dough inside, seam-side down. Generously butter a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the pan and place it butter-side down loosely over the pan. Let the dough rise until it comes to 1/2 inch above the rim of the pans, 2 to 3 hours.
• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the remaining 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water. Remove the plastic wrap and brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash. Bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle reaches 190 degrees F, about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the loaf to loosen and turn the loaf out of the pan. Let cool completely top-side up on the rack.